The Re-Rebound
by Michelle Rose Landau
Summary: Gale introduces his best friend, Katniss Everdeen, to his other best friend, Peeta Mellark, and sparks fly between them instantly. For Gale, that's a problem.


The Re-Rebound

By: Michelle Rose Landau

Summary: Gale introduces his best friend, Katniss Everdeen, to his other best friend, Peeta Mellark, and sparks fly between them instantly. This otherwise wouldn't be a problem...if Gale hadn't realized that he is in love with Katniss...

Pairings: Peeta/Katniss, slight (if you squint) Gale/Madge, Gale/Johanna, Rory/Prim

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Hunger Games_ series. They are the sole creative property of Suzanne Collins.

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! I know it's been a _long_ time since I last updated anything. Life's been...interesting. Lots of changes. Anyway, I thought that I'd post this one. Gale-centric angst, because who _doesn't_ love to torture Gale in fics? Enjoy.

* * *

~one~

His life is in a downward spiral, it seems: he recently broke up with his girlfriend of five years (it was really bad-she took a bat to his flat screen), he was passed over for a promotion at his ad firm, and worst of all, his little brother, Rory, has moved in with him now that he's done with college.

Gale Hawthorne is thirty two years old, and he's already taking stock of his life. Taking stock of one's life isn't supposed to happen this early, is it? His own father didn't "take stock" of his life until he hit his fifties and decided that what he _really_ needed to complete his life thus far was a classic Thunderbird to fix up in the garage.

The only bright spot in his life right now is his best friend Katniss Everdeen, who is flying in from South Africa tomorrow morning, and he wants his place to look somewhat decent when she comes over.

"A little to the left."

"Dude, c'mon," Rory hisses at his oldest brother. "It's centered."

"It's not," Gale argues. "Move it to the left."

He rolls his eyes at him, then they move it to the left.

"There," he says. "Perfect."

"It better be," Rory grumbles.

"Quit your whining," he tells Rory.

There's a knock, and then the front door opens up, and Peeta comes walking in. His college buddy and neighbor, Peeta Mellark, assures him that it's going to get better, which makes him feel like an asshole for complaining about his life because Peeta's wife, Lavinia, died three years ago, and he hasn't looked at or touched another woman since. He keeps himself busy with his real estate and house flipping business, and when the men do go out, he may dance with a few girls, but he doesn't go beyond that. His heart is still with Lavinia, and he's still close with her parents and sister, Annie Odair. Still, even with that particular tragedy, he's still got this-irritating at times-ever sunny outlook that he could only get from his father because his mother's a pessimist to beat all and an icy witch.

"Hey," he says as he comes into the living room. He nods as he looks at Gale's new flatscreen. "Nice, man. You finally got it set up?"

"Yeah," Gale sighs. "I just gotta hook up my cable, then I'm good to go."

"Nice," Peeta says, pausing for a moment as he looks around Gale's place. "I think this is the cleanest I've ever seen your place..."

Gale's a bit of a slob.

That's just one of the many grievances his former girlfriend, Madge, cited against him when they were breaking up. He's a slob, he's selfish, he works too much, he forgot the anniversary of their first kiss, he doesn't listen to her, he's insensitive, the usual bullshit. She put up with him for five years, then all the sudden all of that's a problem? But things had been bad for some time: they hardly saw each other because of their respective jobs, their sex life had fizzled, and there was little to no affection between them. He honestly don't know where their relationship took a wrong turn, but it happened, and the next thing he knew, they're having the worst fight of their relationship, and she's got her bags packed and ready to go by the door. She must've been pissed off for longer than he thought because the moment she tearfully wielded a bat, he surely thought he was going to be a victim of her bottled up rage.

He never expected that his flatscreen was going to be a casualty.

"Yeah, I cleaned up a little," he tells Peeta. "My friend Katniss is flying in from South Africa tomorrow, and she's going to be coming over with her sister for dinner."

"Oh, she's the one you grew up with, right?"

"Yeah. She was hired on to head up a non-profit called Free Girl. It helps women all over the world achieve financial independence and stability. It's an amazing project."

"Yeah, I've heard about that," Peeta says. "I actually helped the founder, Effie Trinket, find office space. She's a great lady, a visionary."

"Yeah, Katniss will fit right in," he chuckles. "She's got the heart for it. Too bad you'll be out of town when she comes in."

Peeta sits on the arm of the couch. "Yeah, I'll be in Jersey."

"You know what, the day you get back, how 'bout we all just go out?" Gale proposes. "District 13, eight o'clock?"

"Sounds good," Peeta agrees.

"She's amazing," Gale explains. "She's intelligent, she's chill...you're gonna love her."

"I can't wait to meet her," Peeta says. "Alright, so, I get in from Jersey at around seven, so I'll just meet you guys there."

"Then it's set," Gale says. "Now, since you're here, let's get this cable hooked up so we can catch up on the World Cup."

"Sweet," Peeta says.

To look at the two men now, one would never think that they are best friends. They'd been dorm mates, and at first, they clashed because they are extreme opposites. Peeta is neat, a little bit on the controlling side, hyper efficient, proficient at nearly everything he's picked up over the years, and he generally is in a good mood; it's strange to see him out-of-sorts. Aside from the agonizing grief he experienced when Lavinia passed away, Peeta was an overall happy person. Conversely, Gale is sloppy, he's not a planner, he tends to brood, and he's good at one thing: selling. He can market anything to anyone, and he's damn good at spinning and targeting demos. He tends to pick up projects, then put them down, and only under pressure does he deliver.

Sharing a small space together for four years at NYU was complete and utter torture, and they got into physical altercations several times. It wasn't until Peeta's parents gifted him with a box set of _The Odd Couple_ episodes that they learned to live with one another's quirks. They bonded over that box set, and Peeta has it to this day.

When they graduated from college, their friendship only grew stronger, to the point where they consider each other as brothers.

They get the cable hooked up, and Gale goes to his DVR so that they can watch the World Cup.

The shouts of the three young men echo through the apartment, along with furious yelling at the television.

"C'mon, man!"

"I feel so bad for my buddy Seneca," Peeta says, shaking his head. "He put a shitload of money on this. He was hurting...aw man...I hurt for him now that I watch this again."

Gale shakes his head. "You want another beer?"

"I'll take one," Rory says, his eyes glued to the television.

"No thanks," Peeta says. "I gotta get ready. So, I'll see you Friday night."

"Sweet," Gale says. "Be safe, man."

"Thanks."

Gale hands his little brother a beer, and they both drink at the same time. Rory looks at his brother strangely as Gale takes out his phone to look at pictures of himself and Katniss, and their respective families both together and separately.

Gale grins as he looks at a picture of the two of them from high school, and he shakes his head. They'd been camp counselors together one summer, and it was perfect because their fathers had taught them how to hunt and survive in the woods. The pay was terrible, but they had a great time. Coming from one of the poorest counties in West Virginia, they had to make a way for themselves and be resourceful.

He looked at pictures that she sent to him while she was working in Africa and in India.

Katniss was always thinking outside the box, so when the time came to graduate, she didn't head off to college like everyone thought. She hopped on the first flight to India to help small children learn to read and help dig wells for clean water.

She popped in and out of the US for holidays and breaks from her work, but for the most part, she has been wrapped up in her work for twelve years now, and she has no intentions of slowing down, it seems.

"You look stupid right now," Rory says. "You're not thinking about...with _Katniss_ , are you?"

Gale rolls his eyes. "Don't worry about it."

"Bro, she's like our _sister_ ," Rory frowns.

"Shut up, Rory, of course I'm not thinking about her like that," Gale huffs as he gets up. "Dumbass. I can't wait til you can afford your own place. You're getting on my damn nerves."

"Feeling's mutual, bro," Rory calls.

* * *

Peeta walks into District 13, still in his crisp business suit, but refreshed after stopping off at his place. He'd spent the last three days in tough negotiations over a multi-family property in estate sale, and the family would not budge on the asking price. Finally, he was able to get through to a grandchild, and he was able to negotiate the price down for the newly married couple, eager to buy their first fixer-upper and make extra income.

Seeing how happy the couple was hit him right in his heart. He fondly remembers the first apartment he and Lavinia rented together right out of college, remembers how it made them feel grown up and _really_ married. He painted their dull hallway with a mural of the moon and stars because she loved staring up at the sky. Some days, she would just sit on their small fire escape and stare for hours, her red hair glinting. God, he held on to those memories so strongly because he knew that she wanted him to.

It's been three years since her death, and he's long gotten over the struggle with his grief, which hit him hard. He felt at peace, and in a good place, but he was slightly annoyed by the fact that Gale has been trying to get him to date again. Gale's taste in women is... _iffy_ at best. His relationship with Madge had been evidence of that. Or, perhaps, it's just him. Maybe he expects too much, or maybe women have changed, or maybe _he's_ changed and become a bit cynical...Peeta doesn't know. Maybe it's living in Manhattan and having money that's put him off from some of the women he's met.

When he goes out, he's just going out, having a drink, relieving some work week stress. His intention isn't to go home with anyone; he simply has had no desire to even have the complication of frivolous one night stands. He hasn't been with another woman in three years, and when the urge does hit him, he self-serves. While it's not ideal, he's been quite alright.

He finds Gale and Rory sitting at a table, and he goes over to them.

"Hey," he says.

"Hey man," Gale says, looking at his phone.

"So, where's the amazing girl you've been talking about the last two weeks?" Peeta asks as he gestures the waitress over to the table.

"She's running late," Gale says. "She stopped by her sister's place first, got held up there. She said she'll be here in five to ten minutes."

Peeta nods.

"Can I get a scotch and soda?"

"Sure," the waitress says.

"How is it working with that Boggs fellow?" Peeta asks.

"It's not so bad, but...I've been at Thread Advert Services for longer than he has, and-you know what? I can't even talk about it. I'm still pissed."

"Why didn't you check in to that other company?" Peeta asks. "Maitland & Associates? I told you that I know Cressida Maitland's father, Troy. They'd love to have you on."

"I don't want to have to start all over, I-" Gale stops when his phone rings. "It's Katniss...hey! Yeah, we're at the table in the back...yeah...okay, bye."

Gale pockets his phone, then he waves Katniss over.

He spots her across the bar, and she smiles as she strides over to them.

Peeta looks up from his drink, and looks at an approaching Katniss. She's got on a form fitting charcoal black dress, and it shows off her curvy waist, silver strappy heels, and smoky makeup that accents her gray eyes. Her long, dark hair is curled and flowing over her shoulders, and she looks confident and radiant as she inadvertently draws the attention of every man in the bar, including Peeta.

As she draws nearer, her eyes meet Peeta's blue eyes, and she slows a bit as her heart skips. Peeta sits up a little straighter, and he feels his face warm, and it's not from the alcohol. Everything else fades suddenly, slows down, and the loudest sound in the room is the beating of his heart.

"Catnip!"

Katniss blinks a few times, then she focuses her attention on Gale and hugs him.

"Hey," she smiles. "Oh God, it's so good to see you! Rory!"

"Hey Katniss," Rory grins as he hugs her. "How are you?"

"I'm great!" Katniss smiles happily. "Oh my God, you're...old enough to drink now..."

"Yep," Rory smirks. "How's your sister?"

"She's fine," Katniss reports.

"She single right now?"

"Yes, but she still wants absolutely nothing to do with you," Katniss laughs.

"Damn," Rory frowns.

"Sorry," Katniss pouts. "You've got to up your game, Rory."

Rory has been chasing after Primrose Everdeen since they were ten, and he has yet to soften her heart.

"Katniss, this is my buddy, Peeta Mellark," Gale introduces. "Peet, this is Katniss Everdeen."

Peeta stands up, and they shake hands. "Pleased to meet you...Gale has been talking you up the last two weeks."

"Oh, he has?" Katniss says, blushing. "Do I um, live up to the hype?"

"You certainly do," Peeta says.

Rory raises his eyebrows as he looks at the interaction between Peeta and Katniss.

"Likewise, Gale's talked a lot about you," Katniss goads.

"Do _I_ live up to the hype?" Peeta asks.

She raises an eyebrow at him. "We'll see."

Peeta chuckles.

Rory puts his hand over his mouth to stifle his amusement as his brother goes out of his way for Katniss.

"Have a seat."

Gale pulls the chair out for Katniss and she sits down. She orders a martini, then she settles in.

"So I've known Gale since college," Peeta begins. "And I'm just now meeting you. He's talked about you here and there, but I gotta admit, my interest was piqued because of how much he's talked about you lately. The most I know about you is the fact that you grew up with Gale."

"Yeah," Katniss says. "Our families were always close. Our parents went to school together, me and Gale went to school together..."

"We went to camp together," Gale laughs.

"These two were inseparable," Rory interjects. "We were always over at each other's houses."

"Yeah, I mean, we didn't have much, but we were happy," Katniss reflects. "We had to work a little harder than most, but otherwise, we just had a great time growing up together."

"Yeah, we had a great time getting into trouble," Gale reminisces.

"Well, between you, Rory, and Vick, it was kind of hard to stay out of trouble," Katniss snorted, then she looked to Peeta. "Their mother was a saint to put up with them."

"I think I kind of know what you mean," Peeta chuckles.

"I think it's hysterical that you guys live across the hall from each other," Katniss teases. "Couldn't leave the college days behind, boys?"

"Actually, that was just a coincidence," Peeta says.

"You're in real estate, right?" Katniss asks.

"Mmhm," Peeta confirms. "Commercial, mostly, but sometimes I do residential. Gale was looking for a bigger place, and the loft across from mine just happened to be available. It was his last option, though. I showed him half a dozen other places, and he didn't like a single one, so, we're neighbors."

"That's crazy," Katniss chuckles. "Well, who better to be neighbors with than your best friend?"

Peeta chuckles. "Better neighbors than dorm mates."

Katniss laughs. "At least you two are still friends."

"A couple punches to the jaw will do that for you," Gale muses.

"So Katniss, tell me more about your work," Peeta requests.

"Oh," Katniss begins. "Um...well, I had always been very involved in my community back home in West Virginia. I knew that I was never going to experience and do what I wanted to do in a college classroom, so when I graduated high school, I joined the Deep Foundation, a non-profit that builds wells and brings clean, fresh water to underdeveloped countries. That took me to India, and I spent my eighteenth birthday talking to a one hundred and four year old grandfather on the outskirts of New Delhi. I was just so...humbled and enamored by him. That first year was hard, though.

"In addition to missing home, and my family, I had contracted a virus and I couldn't keep anything down for a week and a half. Then, I sliced my foot on a sharp rock in the Ganges, after that, I nearly collapsed from the oppressive heat...but I still loved it. I pushed on, I didn't cry or complain because I loved it, and...you're gonna think this is _so_ _dumb_ , but you'd think that I'd have been having a mental break down after all that..."

" _I_ was having a mental break down just thinking about you going through all that," Peeta chuckles.

"She's a tough girl," Gale smiles proudly.

"Not tough enough," Katniss reminisces. "So, the first few months, I was totally fine, but one day, I was in the middle of talking with my mom, and then boom, there was no service. I just got disconnected. Cried like a baby. I'm on the bus, sobbing, just sobbing, and shaking. There are all these people just looking at me, and these sweet ladies, bless their hearts, they comforted me...I worked, but I was so depressed for like two months. I questioned myself, I questioned my decision...the whole direction of my life. But when we finished our first well..."

She pauses and blinks away tears. "And I saw those little kids have their first cup of clean, fresh water...it was all just so worth it."

"That's incredible," Peeta marvels. "That's...I-I can't even begin to imagine. I've never had to go without, so that's just amazing, the work you do. I mean, there's so much that we take for granted."

"Well, that's the thing, though," Katniss ponders. "I really thought that I would be...critical of my life, or of American culture because of the struggles that the people I worked with go through, but...I found that the Indian people, African people love America. I mean, I thought that I was going to feel this overwhelming guilt and shame for my country because of the things we tend to take for granted, but I never felt that. It just made me appreciate everything, and it gave me a sense of purpose. So, even with all the difficulties and the failures, I was like, I'm so not done yet!"

Gale smiles, entranced by her, and he thinks that she looks utterly gorgeous, different, grown up. Her skin is aglow, and she looks genuinely happy. He's missed her _so_ much, and just listening to her talk about her travels, and watching how animated she is getting makes his heart flip. There's this warm, comfortable sensation that he feels covering his body. She is radiating an esteem that he's never seen in her before.

"I have to admit that it feels good to be back stateside," Katniss says. "And I'm so excited to be working with Free Girl. I officially start in a couple of weeks."

"Yeah, I actually helped Effie Trinket find the new office space," Peeta tells her.

"Oh wow," Katniss marvels. "I'm sure that it's beautiful."

"Well, she's put her own touch on it, so it is," Peeta chuckles. "She was very specific about what she wanted, so..."

"Yeah, she's very passionate about her project," Katniss says. "It's been ten years in the making, and she's a perfectionist, so every little detail was accounted for, I'm sure."

"Yes, she was very thorough," Peeta laughs.

Katniss smiles, and she can't help but notice how gentle and sweet Peeta's laugh is. His smile is beautiful, boyish, and charming, but not intentionally. It seems to just be in him. She also can't help but notice his strong, sculpted jaw, his blue eyes, and the golden hue of his combed back hair. The steel gray suit he has on fits him nicely around his broad shoulders and snugs on his waist, and she sees the slight contours of his muscles underneath.

"You want another drink, Catnip?" Gale asks.

"Oh, yeah, thanks," Katniss says. "Martini."

"Peet?"

"Sure," Peeta says. "Scotch and soda."

"C'mon, Rory," Gale says.

Gale and Rory get up and head over to the bar.

"It's been so long since I've seen everyone," Katniss sighs. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved being abroad, but it's so good to be home."

"I'll bet," Peeta says. "You've done incredible things. I always saw humanitarian things on TV and things like that, and I always admired people who did that kind of work because whenever I thought about going over seas, I was thinking about vacation, you know? Having a good time..."

Katniss laughs. "Actually, in between, I did go to places for fun. But anyway...tell me more about yourself..."

Over at the bar, Rory leans up against it while Gale orders their drinks.

"Looks like Katniss and Peeta are hitting it off," Rory mentions.

Gale turns around, and he sees both Katniss and Peeta talking animatedly.

"Yeah," Gale says, missing Rory's insinuation. "Though, I'm not really surprised. Katniss can get along with anyone. How do you think she put up with you and me all these years?"

Rory raises an eyebrow at his older brother.

"Bro, seriously? Look at them _closely_. They're _really_ hitting it off."

"What're you talking about, idiot?" Gale chides. "They're just talking."

"I don't know, man," Rory says, shaking his head. "They seem really in to each other."

"No way," Gale huffs. "Besides that, this isn't a set up or anything. I'm just introducing my two good friends to each other. Peeta isn't Katniss' type, and neither is she his."

"Whatever," Rory ever so slightly concedes. "But Peeta hasn't been this interested in another woman since Lavinia, and you _know_ how deeply in love he was with her. Vin was his world..."

"Exactly," Gale says. "Which is why you're wrong. He's told me himself that he's just not ready to move on yet."

Their drinks are served up, and Gale grabs them and he and Rory head back to the table.

Peeta and Katniss are both laughing softly as Gale and Rory sit back down.

"Thanks, Gale," she says gratefully. "So, Peeta was just telling me about the worst job he ever had..."

"Oh, yeah, he was one of those advert guys that stands on the street," Gale laughs. "Aw, he was _miserable_."

"That was the worst summer of my life," Peeta laments. "It was for some lame burn phone kiosk-not a store- _kiosk_ and the pay was utter shit. I don't know what possessed me."

"I would come by and drop off lunch and his boss would yell at him for putting the sign down," Gale chuckles.

"I hate to think about it," Peeta frowns, shaking his head. "I was a dumbass."

"We both were in our freshman year," Gale says. "I didn't do that much better. I ended up working in this old folks' home..."

"Oh yeah, I remember you told me about that!" Katniss exclaims. "That was hilarious! But that little old guy, um...Coriolanus Snow, aw, he was so cute..."

"No, he wasn't," Gale disagrees vehemently. "That guy was horrible. He smelled, and he was picky...he talked way too much about how he used to be the mayor of some town. And he used to feel up the nurses, interfering with my game."

"Well, he was nice to me when I met him," Katniss shrugs. "Though he was quite the flirt. Poor old thing. He passed away the next summer."

"Either way, I couldn't wait to quit that job," Gale says.

"Break the Rules" begins to play, and Rory claps. "Alright, time to dance...Katniss?"

"Sure," Katniss says as she takes another small sip from her drink. "You guys staying here?"

"Yeah," Gale says.

Rory and Katniss go out to the dance floor and begin to dance.

Peeta watches Katniss as she sways her hips and laughs with Rory. He watches her olive skin glow in the dim lights of the club, and her hair following her every movement. He doesn't know what it is about her, but he feels at turns disturbed, and at peace. There's this niggling voice inside of him that's telling him that he should feel guilty about admiring her, about noticing her physical features, about the fact that he's so interested in the woman.

But he is _mesmerized_.

"Isn't she great?" Gale asks, as he watches Katniss on the dance floor.

When Peeta doesn't answer, Gale looks at his friend. "Peet?"

"Uh, y-yeah," Peeta says, clearing his throat. "She's amazing. She's got a good heart."

"That she does," Gale says proudly.

When the song is finished, Rory and Katniss return to the table.

"Thanks for the dance," Katniss chuckles. "Alright boys, I need to head out. I've got to get some sleep. I've got a meeting with Effie bright and early, so..."

"C'mon, Catnip, it's still early," Gale says, looking at his watch. "Stay."

"I wish I could, but I need to catch up on my sleep," she smiles. She leans in and kisses his cheek. "We'll hang out again soon."

"I better head out too," Peeta says.

"Dude," Gale says, his tone laced with shame. "You can go longer than this."

"I'm not feeling it tonight," Peeta sighs. "I'm out."

"Alright," Gale says. "See you in the morning."

"I'll walk you out," Peeta offers Katniss.

"Thank you," she says.

"Looks like it's just you and me, bro," Rory grins.

Gale watches Katniss' retreating form, and he frowns a bit when he sees Peeta put his hand on her lower back. Perhaps there is some truth to what Rory had said earlier-no. No way, Gale thinks to himself.

Peeta's always been charming around women, and his demeanor around Katniss is to be expected. He knows Peeta, and he's sure that Peeta isn't interested in Katniss, and he's absolutely positive that she isn't interested in Peeta. He thinks this to himself, but then there's what Rory had said and the visual to accompany it.

"Gale, there's this chick eyeing you up from the bar," Rory says, hitting his eldest brother's arm. "Pitch black hair, come hither eyes, nice curves...the works..."

He looks over, and he sees a fair skinned woman with her long hair pulled back into a ponytail that flowed like a cascade down her back. She's got on shimmering make up, and her lips are a deep pink. She's got on a strapless silver top with black leather pants and chunky heels. She circles her finger around her drink, then she looks away, blushing.

"She's attractive," Gale judges.

"Dude, she's fuckin' hot," Rory corrects. "She's totally in to you. You should go talk to her. Peeta's not the only one who needs to get back out there."

The girl is hot, he will give Rory that.

Gale downs the rest of his drink.

"Why the hell not?" He sighs.

He makes his way through the crowd over to the woman, and he sidles up beside her.

"Hi," he says.

She looks at him, and she smirks. "Hi."

"I'm Gale."

"Johanna."

* * *

Her name's Johanna Mason.

She's originally from Wisconsin, no living relatives; mom and dad were both only children, killed in a home invasion.

Adopted.

Penn State graduate.

Works as a paralegal.

Gale runs through all of the things he's learned about her between dancing at the bar, kisses in the cab on the way back to his place, and ripping at each other's clothes on the way to his bed. He does this to ensure that he's got some things to talk about when she wakes up in the morning.

The sex was incredible-it'd been a while for her-and they were both left sweaty, but sated messes.

Johanna drifted off to sleep, and he untangled himself from her, unable to sleep.

He's sitting on his couch, watching the television.

Gale hadn't seen Peeta's car in the garage when he and Johanna came walking into the garage entrance to the apartment building at around one AM.

Gale texted Peeta, inquired about where he'd gone, and now, at close to three in the morning, he hasn't heard back.

He gets up, paces.

Okay, he thinks to himself. This is weird. It's not like Peet to ignore texts. Nor is it like Katniss...

He'd texted her too, to make sure that she got back to Prim's place okay, and never heard back.

He feels restless now.

He's not sure how much time passes, but his phone buzzes, and it's Peeta.

 ** _Just got in. Sorry I missed your text._**

Gale goes over to his door, and looks out the peephole. When he sees Peeta at his door across the hall, he opens up the door, a little too enthusiastically, startling Peeta.

"Jeez!" Peeta huffs. "You scared the hell out of me, man. What're you doing?"

"Uh, nothing," Gale says, trying to sound casual. "I just...you said you were coming right home, and I hadn't heard from Katniss..."

"Oh," Peeta says. "Um, Katniss got a little dizzy and nauseous. She hadn't eaten much all day, and the alcohol didn't help, so we went for a late dinner and coffee at my buddy Thresh's restaurant. Kind of lost track of time. I got her back to her sister's okay, though."

"Oh," Gale nods. "Good..."

"She's a great woman...we spent all of dinner just talking. She's funny, and extraordinarily intelligent..."

"I know," Gale says, his tone slightly defensive.

"She's got a good heart," Peeta grins. "You're lucky to have her as a best friend."

"Thanks, man," Gale says.

"We're going to lunch tomorrow-today, I mean." Peeta chuckles. "I swear, we just couldn't stop talking."

Gale furrows his eyebrows.

"Whoa, whoa, don't you think you're moving a little fast?" Gale asks.

"What the hell are you talking about-"

Peeta stops when he sees Johanna appear in the doorway, her shoes in hand, wet hair draping heavily over her shoulder.

"Um, am I interrupting something?" She asks as she puts her heels on.

Peeta raises his eyebrow at his friend.

"I could ask you the same question," Peeta says. "Look, I gotta get some sleep. Miss, Gale."

He opened up his apartment, and went inside, then he closed the door.

"Who's he?" Johanna asks.

"My best friend, Peeta," he explains.

"Ah," Johanna says. "He seems sweet. Anyway, um...I had a great time tonight. I left my number on your fridge."

She kisses the corner of his mouth.

"I'll see you around some time, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Gale says.

"Okay," she smiles. "Night."

"Night."

She heads down the hallway to the elevator, and Gale steps back into his apartment, leaning up against the door after closing it. Rory's words circle in his mind, and he's beginning to believe them, especially after what Peeta had revealed. He had that look in his eyes, that same look he'd had when he met Lavinia fourteen years ago.

* * *

 **October 2001**

 _It was the first party that Peeta and Gale attended together since they began college. After spending two months arguing, pushing, and shoving at each other and trying to adjust as dorm mates, they decided that there was no better way to bond than to party._

 _Gale had a friend by the name of Bristel who shared an apartment with a girl named Cressida, who was a hot, so that was all the motivation Gale needed. Peeta had been a little nervous because parties weren't really his thing._

 _"This is why you're in college," Gale chuckled. "To party, get laid, and drink."_

 _"And somewhere along the way, pick up a degree or two," Peeta mentioned sarcastically._

 _"C'mon, man," Gale prodded. "You're too uptight. You need to live a little. You've ignored that girl, what's her name?"_

 _"Clove."_

 _"Yeah, her. She's been throwing herself at you for weeks, and you've ignored her," Gale said. "What's with you? Do you..._ **not** _like_ _girls? Is there something you're not telling me?"_

 _"Dude, no," Peeta huffed. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with being gay, but I'm straight as a board. It's just that...I don't know, I'm not in to the whole...try before you buy, thing, you know?"_

 _"Try before you-what are you? A grandpa?" Gale asked. "Dude, how do you think you find the right girl?"_

 _"Look, I'm not against dating, but I'm not in to casual sex," Peeta says. "It's not my thing."_

 _"You may not be gay, but you're such a woman," Gale chided. "Now come on."_

 _They walked upstairs to Bristel's apartment, and the party was already going._

 _"I'm gonna go get a drink and say hi to Bristel," Gale said._

 _Peeta nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets._

 _It was crowded, and he gently made his way over to the snack table. He picked up a handful of chips, and began to munch, and he found a place to sit down._

 _He was bored already, and he knew absolutely no one._

 _"No, get away! We're through!"_

 _"Don't be such a bitch-"_

 _He looked up in the kitchen, and he saw a fair skinned, redheaded girl throw a drink in a brawny guy's face and stalk off. The guy wiped at his face angrily and he went to another part of the apartment._

 _Peeta got up and he went in the direction of the girl._

 _He found her sitting on the steps, swirling what was left of her drink in her cup._

 _"Mind if I sit with you?"_

 _She looked up and she gestured to the steps._

 _"Sure."_

 _He sat down next to her and sighed._

 _"What's your name?" Peeta asked._

 _"Lavinia," she said. "Yours?"_

 _"Peeta. Before you ask, it's Dutch."_

 _She studies him closely. "Yeah, I can tell it in your nose and jawline. Your accent is slight, as well."_

 _"How could you tell that?"_

 _"Anthropology major," she smiled._

 _"Ah," he said. "I'm Art History and Business Management."_

 _"Double major, impressive," she said. "Why the Business Management, though? You don't seem like the type..."_

 _"I want to go into real estate," he explained. "But I just love art. I grew up working in a bakery, and my dad taught me how to design the cakes. I got into art that way."_

 _"Makes sense," Lavinia said. "You're smart, you paint, and you bake...what are you?"_

 _"Wha do you mean?"_

 _"You're like perfect," she laughed. "You're practically a god among men."_

 _Peeta laughed heartily. "Well, I appreciate that, but...I'm just a guy. There's nothing special about me."_

 _She appraised him._

 _"We'll see."_

 _He smiled._

* * *

Peeta and Lavinia had fallen so deeply in love, that it scared Gale. Suddenly, Lavinia became part of their little circle, a part of everything they did, and it grew once her sister, Annie came into the picture. Peeta utterly adored her, and she him, and Gale had questioned Peeta so many times about if he was sure if she was the right woman, and how he knew.

"I just know," Peeta said confidently. "She's the woman I want to spend my life with."

They married about halfway through their junior year of college, and they rented a tiny one bedroom apartment. It was a shoebox, but they loved being able to have their own space. Peeta and Lavinia had it in them to be together for the rest of their lives, but, sadly, nine years was all they got.

Gale watched his best friend wade through the hell of the worst kind of grief he'd ever seen. Those were long, dark days, and it brings a fresh wave of pain to Gale's heart just thinking about it.

That's what makes this whole situation crazy.

He knows Peeta, he knows that he's a long-term guy, and he doesn't lie. He's open, he doesn't hide, he lets himself feel.

The look in his eyes is real, and Gale knows that he's serious about his admiration of Katniss.

He combs his fingers through his hair.

But that's not even the issue.

The real issue is: why does he even _care_?

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think so far.


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